love. LIFE. Hello Friends! Over to the left you'll see all of the categories that you can check out. If you're a photographer make sure to check out the For Photographers page. I just launched the new Family GTKY kit and the NEW Insight Kits Blogsite!!! Click here to see the new site! LOVE. LIFE. TIPS. These posts will help anyone who is trying to keep or get back all of the things that they love in their life and/or business. The tips are packed with ways to manage a hectic life, kids, business, meaning, love...and more. Also, make sure you check out the new Women and Business series! (Click here) Also, see how Day with Davina can come to you. (Click here) My favorite pricing guide (that I wish I had when I started my business over 8 years ago). You need this guide! Easy as Pie. Click here to visit Served Up Fresh. (affiliate link) Thanks for stopping by...and don't forget to leave a comment...or two...I want to hear from YOU! And make sure to TELL A FRIEND! |
Entries from June 1, 2009 - June 30, 2009
Big Summer KIT sale.
get in on the summer kit sale!
So...summer is finally here and it's time to get out the lemonade and games and vacations. It seems like a fun time for a kit sale.
Our kits are usually $99 each. We're running this summer sale especially for our blog readers! You can get a special limited time price on all the kits grouped together or on just one kit. The sale will only be going until Friday June 12th at midnight eastern time.
These kits will be sent to you within 24 hours of ordering via email as a downloadable PDF file.
Important: When you are purchasing more than one kit make sure to tell us which kits you are ordering in the section called: instructions to merchant.
For more info on each kit just click on each kit picture at the top of this post.
*ONE kit: $89
*Choose THREE kits: $250
*Choose all FOUR kits: $325
PPA. Studio Management Services
really great.
I've been in Atlanta for the last few days at a PPA workshop. I've been completely immersed in all kinds of indepth business and marketing and selling talk. It's been amazing...and I've gotten to learn from two very successful women that I'm now just in awe of how they've managed to do so much.
Ann Monteith and Lori Nordstrom were so warm and approachable and funny and just...real. They weren't afraid to say that they'd made mistakes...lots of them. They weren't afraid to say that they worked hard and that what they were telling us was going to be hard work. These women are great teachers and share so graciously. They are business people that run their business like women...passionately and with a gorgeous strength and confidence. I love it!
If you've not been through the PPA Studio Management workshops I strongly reccommend it.
I'm at a place right now where I am about to start all over again...at least that's what it's felt like. After taking a hiatus and being at the point where I'm looking forward to the fall and thinking..."what the heck am I doing?" I knew I wanted some seasoned photographers to just give me the nudge that I needed and remind me that I'm really excited about the process of getting a studio up and running again.
The thing is, I've run a studio. I loved it when I was doing it. I've been on a break now and I've really loved the break. I've loved the time with my kids and I've loved almost no worries about keeping a business afloat. And you know how when you get out of the habit or routine of something...even like losing weight...you LOVE it when you're doing it. And then life gets going and get away from it and you forget how much you love it and how great you felt and how you couldn't wait to get to your walking? I've gotten comfortable with my life.
Now, it's getting time to get started again. I know very well the amount of work and effort and time that goes into a studio...the amount of hours...and everything else that goes with it. It's been almost paralyzing to consider.
After being here this week it's been a great reminder that I can totally run a studio and that I love working with clients and I LOVE the synergy that comes in collaborating with a couple or a family for an incredible shoot. I've been filled with excitement about connecting with beautiful, amazing, artistic, and giving couples and partnering with floral designers and wedding stylists that get as excited about all of these things as I do. It sounds so FUN!
There's a long road ahead and it's going to be fabulous adventure. Now, I'm so anxious and full of ideas that I can't wait to share and put into action.
Thank you so much Ann and Lori!!
And a big thanks to Beth...what a great job coordinating the event! I'm looking forward to talking to you more...
PS I'll be here in Atlanta until the end of the week...
learning. LIFE.
Love Affair Scholarship Winner
Make sure to head on over to the Love Affair Blog to check out the winner of the Scholarship. We had so many women participate and it was wonderful. I hope you won!
Move it Monday.
healthy eating.
Congratulations Laura! You won the May Move it Monday Contest. Contact me for your gift card. Way to go!!
Here are some tips on Healthy Eating from the Mayo Clinic that I received via my health insurance.
Healthy Eating: 10 Ways to Add Pizzazz
Mayo Clinic Staff
Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring or tiresome. Flavorful food combinations, new cooking ideas and an inventive spirit can add pizzazz to your meals and snacks and keep you motivated to meet your goals for healthy eating. Here are some ways to keep you on course toward healthy eating:
Get out of the rut. Experiment with new foods and combinations. Try mango or peach slices on whole-wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey. Or toss some mandarin orange or peach slices into a salad.
Think beans. Add chickpeas (garbanzos) or black beans to your lunch or dinner salad. If you typically buy a salad at work and no beans are available, bring a container of beans from home.
Try tofu. Stir-fry with extra-firm or firm tofu rather than meat in Asian-style dishes. Freezing and then thawing tofu before use gives it a firmer, chewier texture.
Go short. Make a nutritious snack rather than a full meal when time is tight. For example, try low-fat corn muffins with apple and cheese slices, or fat-free refried beans mixed with salsa, a small amount of low-fat sour cream and baked tortilla chips.
Be sneaky. Add crushed bran cereal or unprocessed wheat bran to baked products, such as meatloaf, breads, muffins, casseroles, cakes and cookies. Also, use bran products as a crunchy topping for casseroles, salads or cooked vegetables.
Go greener. Vary your salad greens and enjoy the multitude of flavors and textures that are available besides plain iceberg lettuce. Choices include arugula, chicory, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach or watercress. Buy a different variety each week or just mix and match.
Multitask. Choose a dish that serves as a full meal for quick and simple cooking. Healthy examples include beef, barley and vegetable stew; chicken, vegetable and rice casserole; turkey and bean casserole with tomatoes; or vegetarian chili with diced vegetables.
Spice it up. Use salsa for more than just chips. Whether it's mild, fruity, hot, smooth or chunky, salsa is a great companion for potatoes, vegetables, fish, chicken, meats and even eggs.
Go herbal. Use herbs and spices to add color, savory taste and sensational aroma. Add cilantro to rice or bean dishes. Sprinkle rosemary on roasted potatoes or grilled meats. Add freshly chopped chives to omelets or pasta salads.
Explore the world. Discover and enjoy foods from around the world: Mexican, Latin American, Indian, Greek, French and Asian cuisines, just to name a few. Some of the world's most intriguing ingredients — quinoa, edamame, bok choy, bulgur — are as healthy as they are delicious.
healthy. LIFE.
Date Night.
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planned dating.
Mike and I go on a date every Friday or Saturday night. Dates help me through out the rest of the week. I love them. Can't live without them. People ask me how I manage to go out on dates...I wonder how they can manage to NOT go on a date.
I think that dates are marriage insurance. They protect your marriage and save you money...in therapy. We get to talk, have fun, be together without our kids, let our kids know that we love each, keeps me sane, and have fun...oh wait! I already said have fun.
And it's romantic and exciting and living to have fun!
So our date tonight was the picture above. I'm going to be fast posting this because well...we're not done having fun tonight. Mike just took our babysitter home...
We went to a five-and-dime store in town and got some fun (and politically incorrect) games. It was raining like crazy so we found a newly built strip mall and played undercover of their awning to keep us dry. We had fun laughing, being silly, and acting like kids. We played capture the bowling ball pin and used our guns to defend our bowling ball pins (after we had already bowled using every possible silly stance we could think of to throw our balls down the lane...). We made playdoh sculptures that looked like nothing and then made up what we thought they looked like...crazy imagination stuff.
Competitions galore with the pink bouncy balls. We tried to see who could do the most bounces, then who could do the most bounces without moving their feet, then who could bounce back and forth between hands without missing a catch, then we tried to beat a brick wall by seeing how many times we could bounce the balls off the brick wall to each other. Good times.
It was a great date!
We have a little theme every week to keep it fresh. This week was a date for under $10. Our next date is sports and fitness.
So get out, get a babysitter, and go have some fun together.
And don't forget the Big League Chew and make sure to stick that folded up package of gum in your back pocket for full-kid-fun-effect.
And kiss...a lot.
dating. LOVE.